Sunday, 17 April 2011

Why your hair wont grow...improper combing

Ok, first of all, your hair grows. At least, in most cases it does. For those with relaxers, the fact that you have to touch up your roots every 6-8weeks tells you something: your hair is growing. So why has your hair been the same length for the past year (or more)?.. Breakage. There's a whole bunch of things that we (women with coarse/kinky/nappy/type 4a/b hair) do to our hair that prevents it from "growing" but the biggest offender by leaps and bounds is...improper combing.

Tips for proper combing:

- Use a wide toothed comb.

This is the comb I use. I would also advise that you use a nail file to file down any jagged seams on the comb that could potentially rip your hair.

- If your hair is wet, put some conditioner in it to give it some slip. If the conditioner does not soften your hair, make is slippery and easy for the comb to glide through then you should probably change your conditioner. Most drug store brands will work nicely though.

Comb your hair while it is thoroughly saturated with conditioner.

If your hair is dry, part your hair in sections and comb starting from the tips and working down to the roots detangling gently as you work your way down.

I often see women rake combs and brushes through their hair, remove the broken strands caught in the bristles and toss it with such indifference. Well, lets do the math, if you break 20 strands of hair (and I am being conservative) every time you comb your hair and you comb your hair 3 times a day, how many strands will you lose in one month, 6months, 1 year. It all counts. I challenge you to do this: inspect your comb everytime you comb your hair and ensure that there are NO broken strands. Normal shedding is fine and you can identify shedded strands by inspecting the strand, if there is a tiny white bulb at the end, then its normal healthy shedding and you are off the hook

2 comments:

Thanks so much! I thought it was time to get a new comb since my hair is longer and now I know which one to get. While deciding which comb to purchase I've been finger combing and honestly, with my natural 4c hair, I hate it.